1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image information processing system. In more detail, the present invention relates to an image information processing system in which there is unified a workflow from the registration of identification information (including subject information) of a sheet, on which an image of a subject such as a radiographic image of a patient has been recorded or is to be recorded, through the reception over a network of image information read from the sheet by an image information reading apparatus, to the confirmation, display, and output of an image. In particular, the present invention relates to an image information processing system in which an image information processing apparatus, which has an identification information registration function of registering identification information and an image confirmation function, and an identification information registration specialized terminal, which has only the identification information registration function and does not have the image confirmation function, coexist on a network on which there is provided an image information reading apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
Currently, there is used a radiographic image information recording and reproducing system that utilizes a stimulable phosphor that, when receiving the irradiation of radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, γ-rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, or the like), accumulates a part of radiation energy thereof and, on receiving the irradiation of excitation light (such as laser light or visible light) after that, exhibits stimulated light emission in accordance with the accumulated energy (see JP 55-12429 A, JP 56-11395 A, JP 56-11397 A, and the like).
As this radiographic image information recording and reproducing system, a radiographic image information processing system is proposed, for instance, in commonly assigned JP 63-253348 A, JP 01-227139 A, JP 04-123173 A, JP 04-155581 A, and the like and is put into actual use. The radiographic image information processing system includes: a radiographic image information reading apparatus that obtains image data by radiographing a patient at a hospital or the like using an X-ray radiographing apparatus or the like, temporarily accumulating and recording radiographic image information of the patient on a stimulable phosphor sheet, scanning the sheet with excitation light from a laser or the like to generate stimulated light emission, and photoelectrically reading the obtained stimulated light emission; an identification information registration apparatus that registers identification information of the patient; and a display apparatus that, for instance, displays the radiographic image as a visible image on the basis of the obtained image data so as to be associated with the registered identification information of the patient or the like on a display screen of an image recording apparatus, which records an image on a recording material such as photographic sensitive (photosensitive) material, a CRT display, or the like.
By the way, in a radiographic image information processing system like this, there may be a case where a radiographing apparatus for accumulating and recording a radiographic image on a stimulable phosphor sheet and a radiographic image information reading apparatus that reads radiographic image information from a sheet, on which a radiographic image has been accumulated and recorded, are constructed as separated apparatuses.
An example of a conventional radiographic image information processing system like this is shown in FIG. 6.
In a radiographic image information processing system (hereinafter also referred to as the “processing system”) 100 shown in FIG. 6, before or when the patient is radiographed, first, an identification information registration apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as the “ID terminal”) 102 placed in the proximity of a radiographic image taking apparatus or the like registers identification information (hereinafter referred to as the “ID information”) including bar code information (identification information) of a stimulable phosphor sheet (hereinafter also simply referred to as the “sheet”) on which an image has been radiographed, patient information such as the name, gender, birthday, and identification (ID) number of a patient, and radiographing information such as a radiographing date, a radiographed body part, and a radiographing method.
Next, processing conditions concerning the radiographic image information read by a radiographic image information reading apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as the “reading apparatus”) 104, information specifying the outputting destination of the radiographic image information (delivery destination of image data), that is, information showing which image display apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as the “monitor”) 106 should be used to confirm the image and which image recording apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as the “printer”) 108 should be used to output the image, outputting conditions concerning the radiographic image information at the printer 108, and information specifying the delivery destination of the outputted radiographic image (developed X-ray film or the like) such as a department of a hospital like the department for internal disease or the department of surgery are transmitted from the ID terminal 102 to the reading apparatus 104 together with the registered ID information.
Next, the reading apparatus 104 reads a bar code on the underside of the sheet and associates this bar code with patient ID information obtained from the ID terminal 102. Also, when a cassette containing this sheet is inserted into the reading apparatus 104, this apparatus reads information concerning radiographed image from the sheet, performs processing (such as image processing) in accordance with obtained processing conditions as necessary, and obtains radiographic image information. The reading apparatus 104 then transmits the radiographic image information (image data) obtained in this manner to the monitor 106 specified as a delivery destination of the image data along with the ID information including outputting conditions and the like.
Next, the monitor 106 displays the received radiographic image information on a display screen as a visible image for image confirmation, also displays the ID information as necessary, and sends the received radiographic image information and the ID information to the printer 108 if the image is appropriate.
Following this, the printer 108 outputs the obtained radiographic image information as a hard copy image such as a transparent film image or a reflection paper image that is equivalent to an X-ray film image, on the basis of the outputting conditions contained in the ID information simultaneously obtained. The outputted radiographic image is delivered by a known means from the ID terminal 102 to a delivery destination obtained as the ID information.
Now, there is a case where in a hospital whose scale is large or medium, a plurality of radiographing rooms exist and a radiographing apparatus for taking a radiographic image is provided in each radiographing room. Also, in the conventional processing system disclosed in each document described above, the reading of a large number of stimulable phosphor sheets is performed with a single reading apparatus that is high-priced but has high throughput. In recent years, however, there has been made a shift to a decentralized system in which there are used a plurality of reading apparatuses each having low throughput but being relatively low-priced. Consequently, like a radiographic image information processing system 110 shown in FIG. 7, one or plural reading apparatuses 104 are connected to a plurality of ID terminals 102 in order to make it possible to place the ID terminals 102, for example, in the vicinity of the reception desk of a hospital, the reception desk of each department of the hospital, and the like as well as beside each radiographic image taking apparatus. In this manner, it becomes possible to easily and efficiently input information of a patient and check a stimulable phosphor sheet against patient information at the radiographing apparatus. Alternatively, it becomes possible to read a stimulable phosphor sheet registered at an arbitrary reading apparatus 104 without reference to which ID terminal 102 performed registration for the sheet. In this manner, it becomes possible to allow the plurality of reading apparatuses 104 to efficiently operate.
Even in the case where a plurality of radiographing apparatuses are provided in this processing system 110, however, the radiographic image information reading apparatus 104 for reading image information from a sheet, on which a radiographic image of a patient has been recorded, is still high-priced. Consequently, needless to say, the number of the radiographic image information reading apparatuses 104 is smaller than the number of the ID terminals 102. In addition, in general cases, the number of the radiographic image information reading apparatuses 104 is smaller than the number of radiographing apparatuses. Consequently, there is followed a procedure where identification information is registered at each ID terminal 102, each sheet, on which an image has been taken in a radiographing room (each radiographing apparatus), is brought to a nearest reading apparatus 104, the reading of image information is performed with the reading apparatus 104, a visible image of the read image information is displayed on a monitor 106 (106a) attached to this reading apparatus 104 or a centrally controlled monitor 106 (106b), and the state of the displayed image is confirmed. That is, conventionally, identification information of a plurality of sheets, on which images have been recorded using a plurality of radiographing apparatuses, is registered at a plurality of ID terminals 102, although the confirmation of images recorded on the plurality of sheets with the plurality of radiographing apparatuses is performed using a single monitor 106.
In the conventional processing system 110 shown in FIG. 7, however, if the confirmation of images taken with a plurality of radiographing apparatuses is performed using a single monitor 106 in this manner, this results in a situation where images taken by the plurality of radiographing apparatuses (radiographing rooms) coexist on the single monitor 106, so that there may be created confusion over correspondences between images and radiographing rooms that took the images. Further, in the case where different radiographing technicians are deployed for respective radiographing rooms, there may be created confusion over which radiographing technician should be responsible for an image. In particular, in the case where images read with a plurality of reading apparatuses 104 are confirmed using the centrally controlled monitor 106b, there is a possibility of creating further confusion for an operator or user of this system.
In view of these problems, commonly assigned Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-356160 proposed, as an image information processing system that allows images taken with a plurality of radiographing apparatuses to be confirmed without confusion, an image information (data) automatic delivery system in which a plurality of units, each of which includes an information registration terminal (ID terminal) and a corresponding monitor (image display apparatus) for image confirmation, and an image information (data) reading apparatus are provided on a network.
This image information processing system is shown in FIG. 8. In the image information processing system 120 shown in FIG. 8, each ID terminal 122 corresponds to one monitor 124 in a one-to-one relationship and constitutes one unit 126 with the monitor 124.
First, ID information concerning a patient and a stimulable phosphor sheet is registered with the information registration terminal 122a of one unit 126a of a plurality of units 126.
On the other hand, image information and ID information of the sheet having this ID information are read by one reading apparatus 104a of a plurality of image information reading apparatuses 104. Next, this reading apparatus 104a inquires of each ID terminal 122 of the plurality of units 126 where the registration destination of the read ID information is. As a result, in the illustrated example, the ID terminal 122a of the unit 126a returns a response showing that the registration target is the ID terminal 122a to the reading apparatus 104a. 
Following this, the reading apparatus 104a automatically delivers (sends) the read image information and ID information to a monitor 124a that corresponds to the ID terminal 122a of the unit 126a in a one-to-one relation.
The monitor 124a displays image information received from the reading apparatus 104a on a display screen (ID information is also displayed as necessary) and image confirmation is performed.
After the image confirmation, the image information and ID information are sent from the monitor 124a to an image recording apparatus (printer) 108 and are outputted on a recording medium such as an X-ray film, by the printer 108 as a hard copy image.
In this processing system 120, it is possible to confirm image information (data) using a monitor 124 corresponding to the ID terminal 122 that has registered identification information of a sheet, that is, a monitor 124 corresponding to each radiographing apparatus. As a result, there is achieved an effect of preventing confusion which is caused during work by a situation where images taken with a plurality of radiographing apparatuses are jumbled together, which ensures improvement of radiographing technician's convenience, operator's convenience, or user's convenience.
However, there are many cases where a hospital or the like that wishes to introduce the processing system 120 shown in FIG. 8 in order to obtain the effect described above has already introduced the processing system 100 or 110 shown in FIG. 6 or 7, so that it is required to integrate these processing systems. However, even if these processing systems are integrated with each other, there occurs a problem that the delivery destination to which a radiographic image read by a reading apparatus should be delivered for the image confirmation of the radiographic image, should be changed depending on which system is used. That is, as shown in FIG. 5B, the ID terminal 102 used in the processing systems 100 and 110 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 does not include an image display monitor corresponding to the ID terminal in a one-to-one relationship and therefore is an ID information registration specialized ID terminal with which it is impossible to perform image confirmation. Consequently, read image information is delivered from the reading apparatus 104 to a monitor 106, which is completely different from the ID terminal 102 that registered identification information, and the image confirmation is performed using this monitor 106. In contrast to this, the ID terminal 122 used in the processing system 120 shown in FIG. 8 includes a monitor 124 within the same unit 126, so that the read image information is necessarily delivered from the reading apparatus 104 to this monitor 124 and the image confirmation is performed using this monitor 124.
Consequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, in a processing system in which the registration specialized ID terminal 102 coexists with the ID terminal 122 having the monitor 124 within the same unit 126, the delivery destination of read image information should be changed. This means that a radiographing technician, system user, system operator, or the like performs image confirmation at different places. As a result, there occurs a problem in that there exist two workflows; the processing is complicated; and there is created confusion.